California earthquakes

M3.1 earthquake 17 km NNW of San Simeon, California

A magnitude 3.1 earthquake struck 17 km NNW of San Simeon, California on Wed, Sep 16, 1981, 7:59 PM PDT (02:59 UTC), 7 km (4 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.3 13 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California. This one was a foreshock.

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Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 3.1 (ml), minor
Local time: Wed, Sep 16, 1981, 7:59 PM PDT
UTC: 1981-09-17 02:59:17 UTC
Depth: 7.1 km (4.4 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 35.788° N, 121.282° W
Region: California
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 0.3 km horizontally, 0.9 km in depth
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 178°
Stations used: 37

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 76 in the 60 days after this one and 47 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 76.

Before

Earthquakes today California earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1067708 (also filed as ci523089, usp0001fxh). Read Wed, Sep 23, 2026, 12:56 PM UTC.